Former poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera receives UCLA Medal

Cultural and Athletic

Juan Felipe Herrera, poet laureate from 2015 through September 2017, was the first Latino person to receive that honor. He also was among the first Latino students to attend UCLA on scholarship, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology.

The UCLA Medal was presented by Chancellor Block, who praised Herrera’s achievements as both an artist and an activist.

“Poetry, of course, is a universal language,” Block said. “It is the language of intellect. It brings light and enlightenment to the world and gives us a vital means of understanding the lives of so many Americans, and particularly those who live in different worlds than those around us.”

Read more on UCLA Newsroom.
Read Chancellor Block’s speech.